Inspired by an Icon.

The Aloha Shirt

By Black Sheep Cycling

October 23^rd, 2020

Limited Aloha. It’s a state of mind. The alluring strums of the ukulele, the daydream of a tropical playground. You’re parading the city, sand has turned to bitumen, the sun kisses you softly, the breeze invites your kit to dance with a flutter against your skin, you can breathe. A bewildered expression from a passer-by, you don’t care, you’re in Hawaii.

Why the heck are we bringing the beach to the bitumen you ask? The Japanese designs of the 'Aloha shirt' have flared the nostrils of pop culture since the 1930’s. We’re here, an icy Blue Hawaii in hand, celebrating the tenacious timeline that is the Hawaiian shirt.

Queue everybody's favourite cheeseburger eater, Elvis Presley. The king of rock and roll flipped a symbol of the flamboyant into a pure flare of sex. The Man had boys borrowing from their sisters' closets, in an attempt to channel the same knee-weakening pizzaz. Endorsements from Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra confirmed a world-wide love affair for this embodiment of the spirit of Aloha.

Then came the tash. With his glinting smile and chest hair that could reach out and touch you from the silver screen, Tom Selleck brought the brawn to the aloha luau, adding to our flirtation with Hawaiian culture. However our celebration stops at the short shorts, you’d best leave them in the drawer.

Introducing a new face for the Hawaiian shirt, Scarface wore it as a vehicle of violence and world domination. Al Pacino blows up half of America and snorts the other half up his nose wearing a red Hawaiian shirt. Excellent choice in colour, the blood stains tend to blend in nicely.

Finally a fitting encompassment of the plays that paved its way, the Hawaiian shirt settled on the shoulders of a lovelorn teen in Leo. Just when we thought the Aloha fabric was drifting towards your typical 'Clark Griswold' vacay dad, Romeo brings it a breathe of life.

But what's the connection with cycling we hear you cry? Australian pro tour journo Rupert Guiness has become synonymous with wearing Hawaiian shirts at the Tour de France. What was first a ploy to standout in the media scrum, snowballed, became a thing and was given even credence when it was brought to life in 'The Program', the Hollywood biopic about Lance Armstrong. That's more film references than we usually squeeze into a LIMITED Release. And probably ever will!